at the end of december, i decided to get rid of my bus pass in an effort to encourage, er force, myself to commute more by bicycle in 2011. not the most opportune time, weather-wise, in pittsburgh, but as others have pointed out, if i can get used to riding to work in below freezing temperatures, then in the other seasons it will be a no-brainer. much of the challenge is logistical: what do i wear? how do i handle showering and changing for work? how do i carry all my stuff? i'm working these things out bit by bit (wear warm, wind resistant clothes, especially for the fingers and toesies, go to the Y if there's time or do a quick wash up in the ladies room at work, shove things in a messenger bag until i get panniers, etc.).
so far, i've ridden to work twice - last wednesday (technically not 2011, but still...) and this morning. i think i can stick with it, but as with most things, if i express my intent publicly and widely, i'm much more likely to follow through ('cause who wants to be a slacker in front of all of her family and friends?). for now, i'm going to shoot for twice a week for now and reevaluate periodically... i'll keep track of dates, routes, time, and riding companions here and if you think you might like to join me, i can put out the word the night before so we can meet up along the way.
"stats" to date:
december 29, w/jennifer - time: ?, route: back way (river side of butler, under 40th st br) through central l'ville, joining butler @39th to penn to liberty to market to YMCA on 5th
january 4, solo - time: 34 min, route: back way through central and lower l'ville to smallman to penn to liberty through mkt square & ppg plaza to office back door on 1st ave
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Woo Hoo! Go Cat! This is awesome. I have so many fond memories of Pittsburgh winter bicycle adventures. I can't wait to read about yours so I can live vicariously through you :)
ReplyDeletethanks jake. i remember you telling me that you need a healthy dose of death wish to ride the streets of pgh. why i've decided to risk pneumonia as well as being hit by a car, i'm not sure, but i did feel a little bit bad-ass riding in snow flurries this a.m.
ReplyDeleteWell, if I did say that I'd like to rephrase it. One can certainly ride the streets of Pittsburgh safely without a death wish and without that much risk other than the inherent risks of not being inside of a giant metal box. Following the rules, knowing what you're doing and just being smart and careful will go a long way toward keeping you safe.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, if you do have a deathwish, weaving through traffic on 5th avenue during rush hour, or drafting behind a delivery truck at 45mph as you ride down Forbes into Frick Park are super fun ways to pursue it.